Device for crushing solid materials

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for physically reducing material in which a rotor is rotatable on the axis of a vertical housing. The inner wall of the housing is in the form of axial wear plates which have side edges engaging carrier members in the housing. The rotor has a plurality of rows of disc-like beating members thereon at different levels with each beating member having a profiled periphery protruding radially from the rotor for cooperation with the wear plates. The gap between the peripheral portions of the beating members and the inside of the housing decreases in the downward direction. Material to be reduced is fed into the housing at the top and progressed downwardly therein while being reduced between the beating members and the wear plates.

Dec. 3, 1974 3,226,045 12/1965 Shelton ct 241/186 R X 3,356,016 12/19671 1 DEVICE FOR CRUST-TING SOLID MATERIALS Inventors: Walter Diipper,Kassel; Dietrich [75] Prima ry E.\ammerRoy Lake gfia it 8 WalterAssistant ExaminerE. F. Desmond 0 asse a 0 ermmy Attorney, Agent, orFirmWalter Becker [73] Assignee: Rheinstahl Aktiengesellschaft, Essen,

Germany [57] ABSTRACT An apparatus for physically reducing material in22 Filed: Sept. 27, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 401,342

which a rotor is rotatable on the axis of a vertical housing. Theinnerwall of the housing is in the form of axial wear plates which haveside edges engaging [30] Foreign Application Priority Data carriermembers in the housing. The rotor has a plurality of rows of disclikebeating members thereon at different levels with each beating memberhaving a profiled periphery protruding radially from the rotor forcooperation with the wear plates. The gap between the peripheralportions of the beating members and the inside of the housing decreasesin the downward direction. Material to be reduced is fed into the hous-AfiQwA 4 52 5 2 8 8 0 2 2 3 loo 2 1 8 i C 00 H 2 00 m 0 2 BR u 3 6 n 9 nl. 00 m U m 4 n 2 82 u 9 n W R WM y n n m m a 1 m m m M u n G 2 mm "in"mm B m a e w i 1 9 1 C m m .w h UIF Hum 555 ing at the top andprogressed downwardly therein while being reduced between the beatingmembers and the wear plates.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 24l/l86RX Jones 241/286 x 10lalms, 4 Drawing Figures 2,543,599 2/1951 Rietz.... 3 009 659 11/1961PATENTEL DEC 74 SHEET 2 OF 4 ATEMEL DEB W SHEET 3 BF 4 PATEMELBEC 3Waesmzea 8858? E OF 4 Fig. 4

DEVICE FOR CRUSHING SOLID MATERIALS The present invention relates to adevice for crushing solid materials such as light scrap, pre-cut lightscrap, bulky waste, house waste, industrial scrap, old tires, syntheticmaterials, wood and paper, in which in a housing on a rotor withvertical axis of rotation there are arranged beating members which arelocated in a plurality of steps one above the other and distributeduniformly over the circumferences of said rotor. These beating membersare in disk form and are freely rotatable about vertical axes whilehaving their circumferential area provided with profiles. The flightcircles of said beating members, together with the inner wall of thehousing or the profiled wearing plates connected to the inner wall ofthe housing, generate an annular gap which in steps decreases downwardand through which passes the material to be crushed in a downwarddirection.

A device of this type has become known in which a rotor is arranged in ahousing which conically decreases in downward direction and which in aplurality of steps arranged one above the other and within the steps hasuniformly distributed over the circumference a plurality of disk-shapedbeating members of uniform diameter which are freely rotatable withgreat play about vertical axes. The flight circles of the beatingmembers arranged in steps one above the other are of the same size andtogether with the downwardly narrowing housing confine an annular gapwhich narrows in steps in downward direction, and through which thematerial to be crushed passes in downward direction.

This heretofore known device has the drawback that the inner chamber, incase of the rotor being blocked, is accessible only under difficulties,and that the change of the profiled bearing plates which are connectedto the inner wall of the housing by screws is timeconsuming, in view ofthe great number of screws of the wearing plate connection and theconnection of the detachable part of the housing wall. Moreover, theworking edges of the wearing plates can be used only in one rotarydirection.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention, with a device forcrushing solid materials of the abovementioned type, to improve theaccessibility toward the interior of the housing, while maintainingthcannular gap which is located between the flight circle of thedisk-shaped beating members and the profiled wearing plates connected tothe housing.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a device as set forthin the preceding paragraph in which the exchange of wearing plates issimplified and the useful life span of the wearing plates is increased.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear moreclearly from the following specification in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical partial section through a device,

according to the present invention, for crushing solid materials with avertical rotor shaft, said section being taken along the line II of FIG.2.

FIG. 2 illustrates, on a larger scale than FIG. 1, a horizontal sectiontaken along the line lIIl of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates, on a larger scale than FIG. 2, that portion of FIG.2 which is encircled by a dot-dash circle Ill.

FIG. 4 is a top view of a detail of FIG. 1.

The device according to the present invention is characterized primarilyin that the inner wall of the housing is composed of a plurality ofvertical wearing plates which are provided with working edges on one orboth sides, each of said wearing plates being adapted in a positivemanner to be placed between two adjacent profiled carriers, which arestationarily arranged and have the shape ofa polygon, and is furthermorecharacterized in that the flight circles of disk-shaped beating members,which are arranged in a plurality of steps one above the other in arotor and are freely movable about vertical axes, increase in size fromstep to step in downward direction in uniform or non-uniform steps.

In order to obtain a positive connection between the stationarilyarranged profiled carriers and the wearing plates, it is provided thatthe wearing plates have their narrow sides provided with V-shapedguiding grooves. For purposes of avoiding soiling and damage to theguiding means between the profiled carriers and the wearing platesduring the operation of the device, it is furthermore provided that theplay between the guiding surfaces of the stationary profiled carriersand the guiding surfaces of the V-shaped guiding grooves of the wearingplates is adapted to be eliminated by clamping means operable bypressure fluid means and arranged in those guiding surfaces of theprofiled carrier which face away from the interior of the container. Inorder to realize a maximum use of the wearing plates, it is providedaccording to the invention that the profile on the working surface ofthe wearing plates is provided symmetrically with regard to thelongitudinal axis of the wearing plates.

The adjustment of differently great flight circle diameters of thedisk-shaped beating members, which are movably connected between carrierdisks arranged in a plurality of steps one above the other and connectedto the rotor, is effected in such a way that the vertical axes for themovable connection of the disk-shaped beating members are connected inthe carrier disks on pitch diameters of the same size, while the outerdiameters of the disk-shaped beating members have the same size for oneand the same step but vary in size from step to step.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be noted that acage-shaped frame is connected to the horizontal flange surface 2 of thelower machine part 1. This frame is composed of the lower flange 3, thelower bandage 4, the upper bandage 5, and a number of vertical profiledcarriers 6 which are uniformly distributed over the circumference andare connected to the inner side of the annular bandages 5, 6. Betweeneach two profiled carriers, wearing plates 7 are positively insertable,which plates extend approximately over the entire height of the profiledcarriers. In this way a positive connection with V-shaped grooves on thetwo narrow sides of the wearing plate 7 and corresponding V- shapedprofiles of the vertical profiled carriers 6 is established. Forpurposes of facilitating the assembly and disassembly, the wearingplates have their end faces provided with thread into which annular eyes8 are screwed.

As will be evident from FIG. 2, the inner chamber of the container whichis confined by the wearing plates 7 has the cross-section of a regularpolygon. Centrally arranged in the interior of the inner chamber formedby the cage 4, 5, 6 and the wearing plates 7 with the working surfaces7a is a rotor 9. Rotor 9 has a vertical axis of rotation and is adaptedto be driven by an electric motor 30 through a transmission, forinstance belt transmission, in both directions of rotation, saidtransmission being located in the lower part 1 of the machine.

The rotor 9 comprises a central tube 10 which is firmly connected to ashaft 40 journalled in the lower portion 1 of the machine. A pluralityof carrier disks 11 are connected in steps of equal size and inhorizontal arrangement one above the other. Connected to said carrierdisks on uniform pitch circles, and uniformly distributed over thecircumference, there is a plurality of vertical axes 12.

On these axes l2, disk-shaped beating members 13 are freely movablyconnected, which means are rotat able with considerable play. Thedisk-shaped beating members 13 always have the same outer diameterbetween each two adjacent carrier disks 11. The outer diameters of thedisk-shaped beating members 13 are for the individual superimposedstages so selected that the flight circles defined by the rotation ofthe rotor 9 increase in downward direction, which means that theremaining gap between the flight circles or flight paths of the beatingmembers 13 and the vertical wearing plates 7 become narrower in downwarddirection. The decrease in the gap in downward direction may either bein uniform steps or in adaptation to the specific properties of thematerial to be crushed, or also in nonuniform steps to be ascertained bytests. The circumference of the disk-shaped beating members 13 may beprovided with different types of profiles, for instance, with roughteeth. Furthermore, the disk-shaped beating members 13 may have theircircumference designed so as to have the form of a regular polygon.

The upper ends of the vertical profiled carrier 6 are provided with ribsor fins 14 which point radially toward the interior of the container.Connected to said ribs 14 is a cylindrical collar 15, the outer diameterof which is so selected that the wearing plates 7 when being removedwill not abut in upward direction. A filling funnel 16, which by meansof its collar 17 rests on the collar 15, extends into the collar 15,said funnel 16 being rotatable and removable.

Within the inclined portion of the filling funnel 16 there is provided aflap 18 which closes almost the entire inlet cross-section and which hasits upper end journalled by means of a joint 19. The flap 18 is by meansof abutment 20 prevented from escaping against the flow direction of theinflowing material to be crushed. For purposes of pre-crushing thematerial to be crushed which impacts from above of the rotating rotor 9,there is above the uppermost carrier disk 11 a beating arm 21 provided,which is firmly connected to the rotor 9 and which is illustrated as anindividual part in FIG. 4. The beating arm 21 is provided with tworadially extending and exchangeable beater plates 20, and thus iseffective in both directions of rotation.

Below the lowermost carrier disk 11 there are provided two radiallyextending pairs 23 of beater plates by means of which the materialcrushed and compacted in the space below the lower-most carrier disk 11is centrifuged out of the outlet opening 24. The outlet opening 24,which tapers in a funnel-shaped manner, is symmetrically designed and islikewise effective in both directions of rotation of the rotor.

In order to avoid damage to the guiding surfaces of surfaces verticalprofiled carriers 6 and to the wearing plates 7 inserted from above, andin order at the same time to prevent the escape of dust from theinterior of the device, the wearing plates 7 are in their V-shapedguiding means held in such a way that the guiding surfaces facing towardthe interior of the chamber firmly and tightly rest against each other.FIG. 3 diagrammatically shows a clamping device for clamping the wearingplates 7 together. According to this clamping device, there are providedpressure elements 25 which are movable in grooves provided in theguiding sufaces facing away from the inner chamber. These pressuremembers 25 are, by means of a hose 26 or thin-walled pipe, filled withpressure fluid pressed against the adjacent guiding surface of thewearing plates 7. An additional cover 27, which may be covered bynoiseabsorbing substances, is arranged on the outside of the bandages 4,5.

The advantages realized according to the present invention consistprimarily in that a removal of individual or a plurality of wearingplates will be possible in a minimum of time. This brings about aparticularly economical operation of the device when the wearing platesare on both surfaces provided with working edges which are arrangedsymmetrically with regard to the longitudinal axis and which. in case ofwear of one working surface, are removed and then reversed andreinserted. in this way the span of use of each individual wearing platewill be doubled. In view of the possibility of changing also thedirection of rotation of the rotor, the working edges of each workingsurface can be used in both directions, whereby the span of use of thewearing plate is again doubled.

A further advantage of the simple wearing plate in removal consists inthat, in case the rotor should be blocked by jammed material in theinterior of the device, the interior of the device will be easilyaccessible.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present in vention is, by nomeans, limited to the specific showing in the drawings, but alsocomprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for physically reducing material; a housingsubstantially circular in cross section disposed on a vertical axis,axial wear plates distributed circumferentially inside said housing andforming the radially inner wall thereof, an axial corner extending alongat least one circumferential edge of each wear plate, profiled carriermembers on the housing interposed between and extending axially alongsaid wear plates, interfitting elements of key means on the sides ofsaid carrier members and the edges of said wear plates for supportingsaid wear plates in said housing, a rotor in the housing rotatable onthe axis of the housing, and axially spaced rows of circumferentiallyspaced disc-like beating members on said rotor, means supporting eachbeating member for rotation on a vertical axis on the rotor, eachbeating member having a profiled peripheral portion protruding radiallyfrom the rotor, the radial gap between the radially inner wall of saidhousing and the periphery of each said row of beating members decreasingin the downward direction.

2. An apparatus according to.claim l in which said rotor issubstantially cylindrical and the beating members increase in diameterfrom the top of the rotor to the bottom of the rotor.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which said elements of key meanscomprise grooves extending along the side edges of the plate and ribportions on said carrier members receivable in said grooves.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which said wear plates areparallel to the axis of the housing, said rotor being cylindrical, andsaid beating members increasing in diameter from the top of the rotor tothe bottom of the rotor to obtain the narrowing of the gap between therotor and the housing in the downward direction.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which said elements of key meanscomprise grooves extending along the side edges of the plate and ribportions on said carrier members receivable in said grooves, and clampmeans operatively interposed between said carrier members and wearplates and clamping the wear plates in radially outermost positions onsaid carrier members.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 in which said clamp means comprisefluid pressure expansible means interposed between the radiallyoutwardly facing side of said ribs and the radially inwardly facingsides of said grooves.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which said means supporting saidbeating members on said rotor comprises vertical shafts in the rotor.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 in which all of the beating membersin each row thereof are the same diameter.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which said means supporting saidbeating members on said rotor comprises a plurality of vertical shaftsin the rotor all on a common pitch circle and all of the beating membersin a respective row being of the same diameter.

10. An apparatus according to claim 3 in which each said carrier memberand each said wear plate is symmetrical about a respective axial planeof the housing. l

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION patent 3,851,829Dated December 3, 1974 Walter Dopper et a1 Inventor s) It is certifiedthat error appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Jan. 19, 1973 Germany ..2302466 Signed and Scaled this Fourth Day OfOctober 1977 [SEAL] Attest:

RUTH C. MASON LUTRELLE F. PARKER Attesting Officer Acting Commissionerof Patents and Trademarks

1. In an apparatus for physically reducing material; a housingsubstantially circular in cross section disposed on a vertical axis,axial wear plates distributed circumferentially inside said housing andforming the radially inner wall thereof, an axial corner extending alongat least one circumferential edge of each wear plate, profiled carriermembers on the housing interposed between and extending axially alongsaid wear plates, interfitting elements of key means on the sides ofsaid carrier members and the edges of said wear plates for supportingsaid wear plates in said housing, a rotor in the housing rotatable onthe axis of the housing, and axially spaced rows of circumferentiallyspaced disc-like beating members on said rotor, means supporting eachbeating member for rotation on a vertical axis on the rotor, eachbeating member having a profiled peripheral portion protruding radiallyfrom the rotor, the radial gap between the radially inner wall of saidhousing and the periphery of each said row of beating members decreasingin the downward direction.
 2. An apparatus according to claim 1 in whichsaid rotor is substantially cylindrical and the beating members increasein diameter from the top of the rotor to the bottom of the rotor.
 3. Anapparatus according to claim 1 in which said elements of key meanscomprise grooves extending along the side edges of the plate and ribportions on said carrier members receivable in said grooves.
 4. Anapparatus according to claim 1 in which said wear plates are parallel tothe axis of the housing, said rotor being cylindrical, and said beatingmembers increasing in diameter from the top of the rotor to the bottomof the rotor to obtain the narrowing of the gap between the rotor andthe housing in the downward direction.
 5. An apparatus according toclaim 1 in which said elements of key means comprise grooves extendingalong the side edges of the plate and rib portions on said carriermembers receivable in said grooves, and clamp means operativelyinterposed between said carrier members and wear plates and clamping thewear plates in radially outermost positions on said carRier members. 6.An apparatus according to claim 5 in which said clamp means comprisefluid pressure expansible means interposed between the radiallyoutwardly facing side of said ribs and the radially inwardly facingsides of said grooves.
 7. An apparatus according to claim 1 in whichsaid means supporting said beating members on said rotor comprisesvertical shafts in the rotor.
 8. An apparatus according to claim 7 inwhich all of the beating members in each row thereof are the samediameter.
 9. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which said meanssupporting said beating members on said rotor comprises a plurality ofvertical shafts in the rotor all on a common pitch circle and all of thebeating members in a respective row being of the same diameter.
 10. Anapparatus according to claim 3 in which each said carrier member andeach said wear plate is symmetrical about a respective axial plane ofthe housing.